Automatic clutch



June 29, 1937- o. H. BANKER 20,425

.AUTOMATIC CLUTCH Original Filed 001;. 21, 1927 QSheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

AITTORNEYK' J1me 1937- o. H. BANKER Au'rommc cmn'cnori inal Filed Oct. 21. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR.

' ATTORNEY;

keiaued June 29, 1937.

1 UNITED STATES" PATENT. ol rics auromrrccfiu'rcn V 7 Oscar. H, Banker, Chicago, 111., assignor, by mesne' I assignmen to New Products Corporation,

Chicago, 111., afcorporation of Delaware Original No. Serial No.

1,795,464, dated March 10, 1931,- 227,828, October 21, 1927. April 23, 1930, Serial No. 1,861,830, dated June 7, 1932. reissue May 4, 1933, Serial No.

Divided 446,680. Patent No. 1

Application for 670,387

V The invention relatesto clutches and more particularly to automatic clutches.

This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No.

, construction and arrangement of speed-controlled clutch mechanism wherein the parts are held in clutched relation at a predetermined speed regardless of a further movement of the governor abovethis speed and in whichthe governor, is effective to cause the release of said clutch only at apredetermined decrease in engine 1 I A fin'ther objectof the invention is to provide aspeed-controlled clutch mechanism associated with a manualcontrol for preventing the opera-[.

tion of the speed-responsive means from shifting the clutch. 7

, The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof. In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a. vertical sectional view of clutch mechanism embodying the invention;.

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view taken on the Fig.7 3 is adetail sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1'; V.-

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the governor;

a Fig. 5 is a view showing the governor-locking clutches.

Only so much of the structure of the original application, Serial No. 227,828 filed October 21, 1927, has been shown as is necessary to show and explain one of the automatic clutch mechanisms ofthat application and only so much of the structure shown in Fig. 1 will be described in detail as relates to this clutch mechanism, as the operation and features of the transmission m'echanisin itselihave been fully-shown and described l t I in the aforementioned application.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l0 des- Ila driven'member V ignates a drive member and in the form of a tubular shaft." The drive member [0 as planetary gear carrier whose hub has a bushing l2 journalled on the hub of the driven gear l3 of the change speeii planetary'gear'unit, which is provided with keyed projections l4 fitting inv splines IS in the driven shaft li provided withi bushings IS in which the main drive shaft i1 oi the transmission is journalled, said shaft having a drive'gearj i8 formed integral therewith or suitably secured thereto. I

55 A series of planet gears are mounted on the having a hushed bearing 2| 227,828, filed October-21,

' 5 1927, and' has for its object to provide a novel 23 of the carrier and; in the 28 forms a bearing for the shaft 7 24 and 23=being secured together by a series of ally extending ring through which pass the blocks are recessed as here shown is a 20 being, shown, said gears being formed as a unit journalled on a shaft or pin 22 which is mounted at one end in one part other in the part 24 of said carrier, whose hub 25 is journalled in a roller bearing 26 mounted in the front end plate 21 ofthetransmission casing and whose bearing II, the parts bolts 29, one' being shown. v

The spline l5 also serves to connect with the planet carrier n, one "set-er these'gears i3 and I driven shaft the governor disk 30. .The drive member l0, instanced hereas the planetary carrier, is provided with .an outer flange 3| provided on its inner periphery with clutch keys 32 which cooperate with the disks or clutch plates 33in the usual and well-known manner. The governor 30fis providedfwith a later- 7 34 which'is keyed to the driven disks or, clutch plates 35, which'are interposed between and cooperateuwith the driving disks 33 to establish a' driving connection between said'disk 30 andtthe carrier II when the requisite pressure is applied to said disks. v

The pack of driving "and driven -clutch plates lever 38 hasone end provided'with a hook 39.

which is adaptedto. engage th the hooked end 40 of a member v4| forming, part of a tension controlling device. Thisdevice includes a hat, coiled spring 42 which; is encased-in the separable members II and 43 the pressure plate 36 by means of a threaddjconnection between the partslland 43; f r

The governor disk 30 has a pair of governor blocks or 'weights 45 slidably mounted thereon floating'studs 4i and said at.i4l 'to form pockets'to receive springs 43 which encircle the floatin studslfi. The lower end of each stud is provided with a nut 49, in threadedengagement with it, and provided with a pin which is slidable in akeyway 5i on oneof the" governor weights 45. The nuts 49 are locked in thelradjustedposition in any suitable manner.

Each governor-weight is adapted to travel in the path of a roller 52 mounted 'on.the free end of the lever 38. vThe manner in whi'ch the governor weights are slidably keyed on' the governor disk is best seen in Fig. 4, from whichit beseen that said disk is provided with the guides 53 on which the governor weights are slidable.

is disposed between a pressure plate "and the ber which istransmitted Each governor weight has fixed to it a rack 54 which meshes with a pinion 55 which is loosely mounted on the hub 58 of the governor disk Ill. The pinion 55 has on one face a clutch member 51 which cooperates with'clutch faces 58 of a manually shiftable clutch member 59. A spring 60 interposed between shouldered portions of the .clutch members 51 and I59 acts to normally separate the same. The clutch member 59 is slidably keyed at 6| on the hub 56 of the governor disk 35.

T? 1e housing 63 has a n it on which a manually operable shifter fork ;5 is sl'dably mounted, the fork of which engages the flange 66 of the clutch member 59 for moving the same against the pressure of the spring 60 to engage the clutch members 51 and 58.

The governor guide rod 154 mounted weights 45 have inclined faces 61 and dwells 68 so that when a roller 52 reaches a dwell 68 the clutch blocked and the lever 38 is in dwell. As the governor weights, move outwardly under the influence of centrifugal force their inclined faces Bi engage the rollers 52 and swing the levers 38 in a clockwise direction and thus move the parts4l' pressure on the disks 33 and 35 to establish a tinues so long as the rollers 52 are on the dwells 88 positions of the levers".

As herein shown, the planetary gear carrier II is provided with a-periphera'l gear 89 which, as shown in detail in the aforementioned applito cooperate with an autobeen reached, shaft I! through driven shaft II.

II increases the wardly under the being from the As the speedof the driven shaft weights 4 tend to move outwith the member 4| exerting a pull on said memthrough the spring 42 which in turn moves on the disks I3 and to the pressure plate II, against and puts pressure II and thus the planetary carrier and keyed to the shaft H position, the levers and 36 to put gears ll; I9, 20 and ii to the I tion is not to be limited the inclined faces 61. In other words, the. clutch is not declutched until a predetermined decrease in engine speed has been effected, which it will be noted, is at a lower speed than that at which engagement is effected, since as a result of the dwells 68 and the levers 38, only the resistance of the springs 48 influence the return of the weights 45 to contracted position and hence of the clutch to 'declutched position. In this connection, when the weights 45 are in expanded 38 under the action of the spring 42 are forcing said weights against their guides with increasing frictional resistance .so

that said spring 42 is thereby retarding the return of the weights and as a consequence the springs 48 cannot return the weights 45to their collapsed position until a much lower speed of the unit is reached than that at which engagement is effected. 5

It will also be noted that the spring 42 provides a yielding drive for the clutch plates which reduces jars and shocks on the mechanism and makes for long life of the clutch parts.

When the governor weights 45 are in retracted position the clutch members 51 and 58 are in position to be meshed so that under these Furthermore, with the particular construction herein shown, if the operator should attempt to move the clutch member 58 into mesh with the clutch member I! when the governor weights are in expanded condition he cannot do this bethe pinion 55 and consequently the clutch face 51 to a position in which said\clutch face is out of register with the clutch face 58 of the member 59.

It is also to be noted that the parts 4| and 43 form an actuator engaging the spring 42 to control the clutch.

I desire it to be .understood that this invento any particular form or arrangement of parts except insofar as such limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination of a driving and a driven shaft and a governor-controlled unit operatively connecting said shafts including a clutch,-means for controlling said clutch including levers, and speed-responsive, governor weights having inclined faces and dwells cooperating with said levers.

2. The combination of a driving and a driven shaft, and a. governor-controlled unit operatively connecting said shafts including a clutch, speedresponsive governor weights and levers operated speed.

- 3. The combination of a driving and a driven shaft, a governor-controlled unit ope'ratively connecting said shafts including a clutch, an

actuator for said clutch, a'resllient cushion between said actuator and said clutch, levers cooperating with said actuator to control said clutch, rollers at the free ends of Said levers, and speed-responsive, governor weights having inclined faces and dwells inwardly of such faces on which said rollers ride to control the movements of said levers.

4. The combination of a driving and a driven shaft, agovernor controlled unit operatively connecting said shafts including a clutch, an actuator for said clutch, a resilient cushion between said actuator and said clutch, levers cooperating with said actuator to control said clutch, rollers at the free ends of said levers, and speedresponsive weights engaging said rollers.

5. The combination of adriving and a driven shaft, clutch mechanism operatively connecting said shafts, speed-responsive means for actuating said clutch including governor weights, a jaw clutch having a clutch member geared to said weights to be turned thereby, and a manually shiftable, co-operative clutch member cooperating-with said geared clutch member to retain said weights in one of their positions.

6. The combination of a driving and a driven shaft, clutch mechanism operatively connecting said shafts, speed-responsive means for actuating said clutch including governor weights, racks carried by said weights, a pinion on one of said shafts meshing with said racks and provided with a clutch face, and a manually operable clutch member engageable with the clutch face of said pinion to lock said pinion and governor weights in retracted position to prevent operation of said clutch.

7. The combination of a driving and a driven shaft, a governor mounted on one of said shafts, a disk clutch between said governor and the other of said shafts, said governor including centrifugally operable members and multiplying levers operatively associated therewith and movable relative thereto, and a resilient, pressuretransmitting connection, including a shiftable actuator engaged by said levers and a spring between said disk clutch and said levers.

8. The combination of a driving shaft, a driven shaft, a governor-controlled unit ,operatively connecting said shafts including a clutch, an actuator for said clutch, aresilient cushionbetween said actuator and said clutch, levers cooperating with said actuator to control said clutch, speed responsive governor weights distinct from said levers, and an operative connection between said weights and levers for actuating said levers through a limited movement while allowing continued movement of said weights after said weights have acted on said levers to move said actuator to apply said clutch.

9. The combination of a drive shaft, a driven shaft, and a governor controlled unit operatively connecting said shafts including a clutch, speed responsive governor weights acting to engage said clutch, spring means through which a yielding pressure is exerted on said clutch, spring means to resist the movement of said weights to clutch engaging position, an operative connection between said first named spring means and said weights including cam means having a dwell portion for controlling the action of said first named spring means on said weights.

OSCAR H. BANKER. 

